The Spirit of Gravel is many things to many people. It’s probably not flying back and forth across the continent for months at a time. But that’s what the life of a pro gravel racer has become. Does it have to be that way? That’s the question Alexis Cartier set out to answer in the most incredible way possible.
The Quebec racer decided to race the Life Time Grand Prix, nine events across a full season, by riding between the races.
While Cartier did have to conceed to take a couple flights, mostly in order to work in events outside the series, he tried to ride as much as possible. The route between the nine events included a whopping 15,000km on the bike.
Cartier and L’Esperance: Two DIY approaches to racing gravel (and more) at the highest level
And that’s just to get between the races. On weekend’s, the Canadian was still toeing the line against the world’s top gravel pros. Riders that had spent all week optimizing their training and rest for that weekend’s events. Not bikepacking across the continent.
What’s more, Cartier did the whole series on one bike, other than one weekend where he rented a mountain bike for Leadville. Just practically, you can’t really strap a second bike to your bike when you’re covering that kind of mileage. But do you actually need a different set up for every specific race?
We talked to Cartier for the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast at the start of his expedition. It was amazing to follow along all year, seeing him on Strava, working his way across the continent between events. The Spirit of Gravel is that whole year condensed into just under 15 minutes. That’s roughly 1,000 km a minute. And it is great.
The Spirit of Gravel
What’s 3T say about their Quebec adventurer?
As human activities are defacing this planet, Alexis Cartier is looking for ways to race his bike more responsibly. In 2025, he linked 9 of the biggest races in North America by bike instead of flying or driving. This film explains the motivations behind his 15 000km bikepacking trip across the continent.